Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips

New Canon 7D Mark II Rumored for Next Month

Canon is rumored to announce three new DSLRs in 2014. The Canon Rebel T5, announced a couple weeks ago, was the first. Rumors continue to church that a replacement for the Canon 7D is around the corner – with the latest rumors pointing to a March announcement.

If that March time frame is correct, I would expect it to come closer toward the end of the month to coincide with NAB 2014 in early April. The 7D Mark II has long been rumored to heavily feature video capabilities in addition to being a still image shooter.

Previous rumors pointed to a second quarter announcement time frame for the 7D Mark II, which would put us into April; however, a late March announcement would be a negligible difference. If either announcement time frame is legit, expect to hear a lot more in the coming weeks.

Interesting that those cameras are just getting more and more expensive. However I do see a point of 7D2 with such specs. APSC format makes long lenses even longer and this is really nice thing if you are into birds photography for example.
I just don’t understand about putting video capabilities into DSLR cameras. Everybody keep doing it despite the fact that photo camera has ergonomics absolutely not suitable for video. Sure, quality is great but if someone wants to shoot serious videos with DSLR camera she or he has to spend lots of additional money for all sort of gismos that makes the device looks a bit ridiculous. Serious still photographers rarely use video capabilities and serious videographers rarely shoot stills. Guys who do both kinds usually buy two cameras and keep one for still photos and the other for videos. Or am I wrong?
Anyone sees the point of having video capabilities in photographic camera?

I am a serious stills guy – and I use video ALL the time. Not on the same project but hey, since I got sucked into the video thing when I got the 5D2 I decided to learn more and now look at me, I own 7D and a 5D3 which got me hooked on video, so I learned something new and now I also have an F55 and I am making movies!!

First of all, the 7D and 5D line are to be thought of as Video DSLR’s because they are particularly built for that task more so than the others in the line up. If you don’t want the video capabilities- wait for the next camera after the 7D or 5D that will be cheaper and have pretty much the same gear. I own the 7D, 5D2, 5D3 and a Sony F55. Trust me when I say that the DSLR’s are great at video- coming from an owner of one of the best 4k cameras made to date. You speak of all the money you need to get a DSLR usable such as a rig, and viewfinder etc etc. Let me tell you, no matter what Video Camera you get you are going to need a bunch of extra cash to actually use it. RED is useless out of the box without 10,000 in essential items like a power source, cables, etc. Then on top of that you need a rig that will cost just as much if not more than a DSLR rig. So if you understand video you will understand that this is the way it’s supposed to be in pro cinematography. Sure, you can get a handy cam that works out of the box – but it doesnt deliver the results an interchangeable lens camera can offer – with a large CMOS sensor, with ISO’s so powerful it’s practically a night vision camera without the need for IR, to catch the highlights and without messing up the shadows. So much software goes into these things- and yet- look at magic lantern and how much more it squeezes out of the DSLR’s. You think of video cameras you put on your shoulder- ENG (electronic news gathering) style- where it’s all one chunk of camera -but that isn’t even true- they need wireless adaptors, XLR gear, you name it. They are all projects and each rig is different. I can tell you as an owner of the Sony F55, the camera costs 30,000 dollars but my entire set up is over 51,000 not including a lens. So when you need to spend 4-5 grand to make a 5D3 or 7D camera ready to shoot cinema – that is NOTHING- and -this is the best part – they are small and so inexpensive you don’t care if they get smashed up. (well, some don’t care – I still do but thats just me.) But you can use a go pro and have NO quality lens even though it’s 4k, or you can have any lens in the canon universe, or with an adaptor any PL lens attached to a small form factor camera that delivers amazingly good results. NOW, if you project the DSLR footage and compare it to a RED, F55, ARRI, etc- sure you’re going to see a difference in a 4k projector room, with the lights out and looking for issues. With the exception of the rolling shutter these DSLR’s are great. And even that isn’t a huge problem if you know how to avoid the pitfalls and the distortion you get as a result.

Ok, so there are some people who use it. Thanks Jason. I was really curious how it is as for me it made not much sense.
But what I meant was that I would rather have my 5D2 or 7D without video, especially if camera would be significantly cheaper. Whatever is inside 5/7D that allows it to shoot videos could be packed in a box with ergonomics allowing it to be used for shooting movies, with bigger screen etc. It is totally feasible, right? It is really just a matter of different shape of a case, with buttons and dials positioned in different places. It could still take EF and EFS lenses too. For me that would make more sense, but maybe Canon can make more money putting two machines into one case.

The point of having video capabilities in photographic camera is the very small form factor, which allows to use it in situations where it is impractical or even impossible with a conventional video camera. Think the helmet cam footage of Act of Valor, for example. It isn’t the everything in focus, fisheye look of a GoPro, it is a truly cinematic look, which can’t be made with a larger camera. Also, it is useful to mount it to cars or other dificult places with minimal grip equipment. Finally, if you are shooting with limited crew/budget/space, having a video DSLR helps a lot because of it’s look, lens interchangeability, and small size.

rumors for new 7dmk2 from as far back as 2009? what gives canon. I think the reason they wont release it the new (LUMIX-PANA) gh4 and (SONY) a7s are brand new mirrorless 4K unreal goodness at amazing pricepoint and IMAGE for the gh4 and ridiculous low light (price to be announced) Sony A7s. Canon has been slagging slowly behind by protecting their high end cams. At this point they need to throw a HAIL MARY fast or they will get killed. I see the CANON 1DC fell 2,000$ over night. Duh. The gh4 has amazing internal 4k for $1650 HA!

If you are not a sports photographer there is no reason choose a 8fps camera… Be sure that your 7D will not focuse all the shots, it will miss some of them. Some guys owns fast cameras and uses continuous shoting just one time by year.
The 6D image quality and ISO response are quite better than 7D (we do not have the 7DII to compare yet).